Feijoada

"It's like paella in Spain or meatballs in Brooklyn," says Eric Ripert. "Every Brazilian cook has her own way of preparing feijoada [fay-JWA-da]. Some use only dried meat or pork knuckles, ears and tails. Basically, it's black beans with cured pork." The dish is traditionally served with sweet, cool orange wedges.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy casserole. Add the garlic and onion and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the drained black beans. Add the water to the casserole and bring to a boil over moderately high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add all of the meats and the dried chile and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 hour longer.

Remove the meats from the casserole and thickly slice them; discard any bones. Pick out and discard the chile. Season the beans with salt. Ladle the beans into shallow bowls and serve with the sliced meats. Pass the Toasted Manioc Flour at the table for sprinkling over the feijoada.

Make Ahead

The feijoada can be refrigerated overnight. Reheat gently.

Serve With

Sautéed collard greens.

Suggested Pairing

Pairing feijoada, Brazil's national dish, with Malbec, Argentina's national wine, is like a World Cup matchexcept that both sides win. Full-flavored Malbecs from the San Juan region stand up particularly well to feijoada's smoky and hearty flavors.